Women's swimwear has evolved over time. While women's swimwear may have originated for use in bathing spas, swimwear is now used for sunbathing as well as swimming. Starting with bloomers and stockings, swimwear migrated into one piece style bathing suits. The one piece style bathing suits became the generally accepted swimwear and thereafter began a trend of creating swimwear that was lighter and briefer. The desire for greater exposure while wearing swimwear created the two piece style bathing suits.
Two piece bathing suits, also known as bikinis, allow women to have more of their bodies exposed for tanning purposes and/or to further highlight their figure. Unfortunately, bikinis expose so much skin that a woman can easily sunburn. For instance, a two piece bathing suit that reveals the woman's stomach may not be suitable for certain activities since it offers little coverage of the women's body.
There have been various attempts to design swimwear which is interchangeable from a one piece to a two piece style bathing suit which combine fashion and function. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,545, “Adjustable Swimsuit” includes an adjustable swimsuit comprising an upper piece and a lower piece, the upper piece including a pair of cups and an intermediate connector section between the cups, with the connector including a first connector component. The lower piece includes a connector member with a second connecting component for connection to the first connecting component. The first connector component and the second connector member are fastened to one another in an adjustable fashion using string or ribbon, and the upper piece connecting section and lower piece connecting member are configured to cover selected portions of the wearer's body when the first connector component and the second connector component are connected to one another. The connecting components are concealable in the upper and lower pieces of the bathing suit, respectively, when not in use. The connecting components are tucked into the swimsuit's upper and lower piece when the wearer desires to wear a two piece swimsuit. However, because the lower and upper pieces are fitted against the wearer's skin when the wearer tucks in the respective connecting component within its respective piece it protrudes outwardly creating an unfashionable look and furthermore it may also be uncomfortable for the wearer as a connecting component is pressed up against the wearer's skin by the tight-fitting upper and lower pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,669, “Versatile Bathing Suit” provides a two-piece bathing suit having an upper bra section and a lower panty section. The panty section comprises at least one pouch disposed in an internal area of the panty. The pouch can contain various bathing suit materials for complementing the bathing suit ensemble. One such material is a frontal piece for covering the abdomen. This piece attaches underneath the bra and panty sections, and effectively converts the two-piece appearance into a one-piece look. Unfortunately, this extra material portion must be inconveniently carried by the wearer at all times that the swimsuit is in a two piece style bathing suit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,145, “Convertible Bathing Suit” comprising a top portion having securing means disposed along at least a portion of the lower edge thereof; a bottom portion having securing means secured along at least a portion of the upper edge thereof; and a midriff portion having securing means disposed along at least a portion of its upper and lower edges corresponding to the securing means of said top portion and bottom portion, respectively, whereby the upper edge of said midriff portion can be attached to the lower edge of said top portion, and the lower edge of said midriff portion can be attached to the upper edge of said bottom portion to form a one-piece style bathing suit or said midriff portion can be detached from said top portion and said bottom portion to form a two piece type bathing suit. Again, this extra material portion must be inconveniently carried by the wearer at all times that the swimsuit is in a two piece style bathing suit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,798 discloses an elastic bathing wear garment knitted from a net like fabric that reduces the amount of incident UV radiation to pass.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,223,352 discloses an adjustable clothing ensemble for an infant wherein a bottom portion of a garment is securable to an upper portion by use of fasteners such that the length of the ensemble may be adjusted.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,741 B1, “Convertible Ladies Swimwear” provides a convertible ladies' swimsuit that can be changed from a one piece swimsuit into either a two piece tank-top style swimsuit or two piece bikini style swimsuit for purposes such as, but not limited to, tanning or using the restroom. The swimsuit has a top piece and a separate bottom piece that may be attached to each other along the top edge of the bottom piece and the bottom edge of the top piece, using any of a number of attachment or fastening means such as snaps, Velcro® (hook and loop components), or any other appropriate fastening means, to form a one piece swimsuit. The top piece can be unfastened from the bottom piece to allow the wearer to conveniently use the bathroom. The lower region of the top piece can also be unfastened from the bottom piece, folded upward, either under or over the lower region of the top piece, and fastened behind the wearer's back to create a tank top style or a bikini type two piece swimsuit. The lower region of the top piece can alternatively be folded up completely over the front of the swimsuit and secured behind the wearer's neck to create a bikini style swimsuit, which allows for complete sunning of the midriff. Unfortunately, the extra material portion is either tucked into the top piece creating an unfashionable look or it is fastened behind the wearer's back or neck in effect creating less area of exposure for tanning purposes which the two piece attempts to accomplish.
While these prior arts may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, these prior arts would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. Alleviating the existing problems of having to retain and carry a midriff portion when not using the swimsuit as a one piece style or not having an unsightly, unfashionable connecting component protruding from the inside of the lower or upper piece of a two style bathing suit when tucked into its respective piece. As a consequence of these aforementioned problems, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a convertible swimwear having removably attachable top and bottom piece for converting the swimwear from a one piece to a two piece style bathing suit that is fashionable and functional.